Victor Bekkers

The Myths of E-Government: Looking Beyond the Assumptions of a New and Better Government

In general, rhetoric and myth play important roles in policymaking. Myths may inspire collective action but may also mystify and blur views on reality. In this article we identify, analyze, and reflect on the myths underlying the e-government programs of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and the Netherlands. We found that in all national policies myths of technological inevitability, a new and better government, rational information planning, and empowerment of the intelligent citizen can be discerned. Although the mobilizing powers of these myths are acknowledged, we conclude that existing empirical studies have generated little support for the inescapable telos of these myths, which makes canvas cleaning effects of e-government initiatives less likely.

A Systematic Review of Co-Creation and Co-Production: Embarking on the social innovation journey

Abstract This article presents a systematic review of 122 articles and books (1987–2013) of co-creation/co-production with citizens in public innovation. It analyses (a) the objectives of co-creation and co-production, (b) its influential factors and (c) the outcomes of co-creation and co-production processes. It shows that most studies focus on the identification of influential factors, while hardly any attention is paid to the outcomes. Future studies could focus on outcomes of co-creation/co-production processes. Furthermore, more quantitative studies are welcome, given the qualitative, case study, dominance in the field. We conclude with a research agenda to tackle methodological, theoretical and empirical lacunas.

Policy Alienation of Public Professionals: Application in a New Public Management Context

Abstract Today, many public professionals feel estranged from the policy programmes they implement; that is, they experience ‘policy alienation’. This is of concern as, for satisfactory implementation, some identification with the policy is required. We conceptualize policy alienation based on the sociological concept of work alienation, and show how this can be used in policy implementation research. Studying a Dutch case of professionals implementing a new work disability decree, we observe how NPM practices increase policy alienation because of a perceived dysfunctional focus on efficiency and results. A large number of policy changes and stricter implementation rules further increased policy alienation.

Electronic Service Delivery in Public Administration: Some Trends and Issues

Introduction Contemporary Dutch public administration increasingly uses new information and communication technologies ( ICTs) to support its service delivery. As in many other European countries, Dutch municipalities experiment with one-stop shops. National government has also initiated new experiments (see, for an inter national comparison, Lips and Frissen, 1997). For instance, the Student Loans Agency tries to optimize its accessibility by means of ICTs. Students are able to use the traditional paper forms to communicate with the agency, but they can also use their smartcards or the Internet. In this article we analyse the use of ICTs for public service delivery. We also explore the democratic implications of electronic service delivery. Although the quality of public services can be improved with ICTs, its use may also cause a drift away from the traditional constitutional democratic relationships between the state and its citizens. This development may threaten some fundamental legal and democratic guarantees, which are rarely taken into account by the leading political coalitions.

The governance of back-office integration

Abstract Given the political nature of back-office integration, should cross-organizational back-office integration be seen as a command and control challenge or a process management challenge? Comparative case study research has primarily shown that integration is the outcome of a process in which offices have been able to create a shared understanding about the necessity of integration and in which conflicting rationalities, with their own core values, internal logic and legitimacy, have to be weighed against each other. It is a goal-searching, incremental process, which should anticipate a changing political agenda in order to gain support. Understanding is reached through the ongoing recognition of the interdependencies among back offices, and as a result of a focus on the content of the problem and not on jurisdictions and costs. Trust and political and legal pressure are the lubricants that facilitate this process. In terms of project management, command and control approaches play an important role, but not a decisive one.

Policy Implementation, Street-Level Bureaucracy and the Importance of Discretion

Abstract Street-level bureaucrats implementing public policies have a certain degree of autonomy – or discretion – in their work. Following Lipsky, discretion has received wide attention in the policy implementation literature. However, scholars have not developed theoretical frameworks regarding the effects of discretion, which were then tested using large samples. This study therefore develops a theoretical framework regarding two main effects of discretion: client meaningfulness and willingness to implement. The relationships are tested using a survey among 1,300 health care professionals implementing a new policy. The results underscore the importance of discretion. Implications of the findings and a future research agenda is shown.

Social media monitoring: Responsive governance in the shadow of surveillance?

Abstract Social media monitoring is gradually becoming a common practice in public organizations in the Netherlands. The main purposes of social media monitoring are strategic control and responsiveness. Social media monitoring poses normative questions in terms of transparency, accountability and privacy. We investigate practices of social media monitoring in four Dutch public organizations. Policy departments seem to be more strongly orientated towards monitoring, whereas organizations involved in policy implementation seem to be more inclined to progress to webcare. The paper argues for more transparency on social media monitoring.

Flexible information infrastructures in Dutch E-Government collaboration arrangements: Experiences and policy implications

Abstract How can the flexibility of an information architecture in E-Government collaboration arrangements – defined as a set of multi-rational agreements – be achieved, if one acknowledges the fact that the use of ICT may automate the status quo between organizations which work together in a policy chain? Research shows that flexibility cannot be achieved by only looking at technological requirements and agreements. Other agreements should be considered which express multiple (political, legal and economic) design rationalities and values. Moreover, flexibility is also influenced by the structure and dynamics of the power and trustworthiness of the relationships between the organizations involved. This implies that E-Government policies should focus not only on the technical aspects of information exchange infrastructures, but on the politics of collaboration.

Governance and the democratic deficit: Assessing the democratic legitimacy of governance practices

Contents: Theoretical Framework: Governance and the democratic deficit: introduction, Victor Bekkers, Geske Dijkstra, Arthur Edwards and Menno Fenger The Governance Concept in Public Administration, Menno Fenger and Victor Bekkers Legitimacy and Democracy: a Conceptual Framework for Assessing Governance Practices, Victor Bekkers and Arthur Edwards The idea of democracy in the 18th century, Koen Stapelbroek. Governance at a Distance and Market Governance: Governance, Democracy and the European Modernization Agenda: a Comparison of Different Policy Initiatives, Victor Bekkers, Menno Fenger and Evelien Korteland Police, policing and governance in The Netherlands and in the United Kingdom, Arie van Sluis and Lex Cachet The Accountability of Professionals in Social Policy: or Why Governance is Multi-Focal and Democracy is Multi-Local, Peter Hupe and Michael Hill. Network Governance and Societal Self-Governance: The legitimacy of the Rotterdam integrated public safety program, Peter Marks Embedding Deliberative Democracy: Local Environmental Forums in The Netherlands and the United States, Arthur Edwards The Limits of Donor-Induced Participation: an Analysis of a Participatory Development Program in Mozambique, Geske Dijkstra and Lieve Lodewyckx. Multi-Level Governance: Democratic Legitimacy of Inter-Municipal and Regional Governance, Jose Manuel Ruano de la Fuente and Linze Schaap Democratic legitimacy of economic governance: the case of the European and Monetary Union, Frans van Nispen and Johan Posseth The OMC and the quest for democratic legitimization: the case of the European employment strategy, Patty Zandstra Supranational governance and the challenge of democracy: the IMF and the World Bank, Geske Dijkstra. Conclusions: Governance and the democratic deficit: an evaluation, Victor Bekkers, Geske Dijkstra, Arthur Edwards and Menno Fenger. Index.

Diffusion of E-government innovations in the Dutch public sector: The case of digital community policing

This article examines the diffusion of an e-government innovation - called SMS-alert - among Dutch police forces. A conceptual framework for the diffusion of e-government innovations in the public sector is developed which combines a functional and a constructivist (or cultural) approach of diffusion. The framework focuses on diffusion as a mutual process of communication, learning and sense making. Based on this framework and by using data from documentation, websites and interviews, the process of diffusion and adoption of SMS-alert is reconstructed and the factors and mechanisms explaining this process are identified. The case study demonstrates that although SMS-alert has diffused rather rapidly until now, the diffusion process is currently facing some difficulties, mainly due to the existence of competing innovations. By demonstrating the importance of both the functional, political and institutional meaning of the innovation, the article confirms the value of combining different approaches in studying the diffusion of e-government innovations.